SpaceX military tracking-data deal under fresh scrutiny after Guardian report

A Guardian report on Sunday has renewed scrutiny of a US military arrangement giving SpaceX access to restricted orbital tracking data, raising fresh questions about who controls traffic management in Earth’s orbit.

The US military has given SpaceX enhanced access to restricted tracking data from US Space Command’s High Accuracy Catalog, including Vector Covariance Messages derived from military sensors, telescopes and ground radars, according to the Guardian’s report. The arrangement, acknowledged by the Space Force in a statement to Breaking Defense, marks the first time a commercial company has received this level of access to the secure catalog of objects in orbit.

The agreement was first revealed by Breaking Defense last month. Under a contractual agreement between SpaceX and the Space Force’s Joint Commercial Operations Cell, SpaceX receives the military’s most detailed version of the catalog in exchange for data from its Stargaze star-tracking cameras, which monitor objects in low Earth orbit.

Critics warn the deal hands SpaceX an advantage over rivals offering similar services, because military radar data is more precise than the company’s own Stargaze network, particularly for smaller debris. Former Traccs employee Cole Donovan, now with Stand Up for Science, said the arrangement risks making one company the de facto coordinator for space traffic in the US, while Public Citizen lobbyist Craig Holman said it raises ethical concerns because it appears to reward a political ally with lucrative federal business.

Supporters of the exchange say the government gains valuable visibility in orbit from SpaceX’s cameras and sensors. The data involved is classified as controlled unclassified information.

The debate comes as the Traffic Coordination System for Space, the civilian program created to take over commercial space traffic coordination from the Defense Department, remains underfunded and short-staffed. The administration twice sought to cut its budget sharply, in fiscal 2026 and again in fiscal 2027, with Congress and the House respectively moving to restore funding.

SpaceX already operates about 11,000 Starlink satellites and could expand that total to 20,000 in coming years, deepening its influence over launch, broadband and orbital operations.

Sources: TradersUnion (reporting The Guardian), https://tradersunion.com/news/companies/show/3959914-us-military-spacex-orbital-data/ ; Breaking Defense, https://breakingdefense.com/2026/09/exclusive-spacex-given-unique-access-to-classified-dod-space-tracking-data-sources-say/